Possible to get stronger while losign weight?

I've tried looking up an article on this subject, and most of the times I find questions about "gaining muscle while losing fat" which for the most part seems not to be possible by any efficient means.

I'm not worried about getting 'more muscle' directly, just about becoming physically 'stronger' in the time that I'm losing weight.. I was wondering if that is possible..

I'm fairly new to going to the gym.. for the first time in years I've managed to go to the gym 5 days a week for 2 straight weeks. I'm 50lbs over the weight I'd like to be (I'm 255, and would like to be under 210), so I'm worried about losing weight a lot.. however, I'm weaker then I'd like to be, like so much below-average to where I feel uncomfortable in the gym.

I almost think that I'd be better to get stronger before losing weight, if I had to chose.. because at least I'd get to a level where I don't feel out of place in the gym. Even in the 2 weeks I've been in the gym I've gotten noticably stronger already, but I've been eating maitenence level calories.

So yeah, to sum it up.. would I be ok and still get stronger if I drop my calories enough to lost 1-1.5lbs a week?

Absolutely. You can gain strength while on a deficit..just not mass muscle gain. Incorporating a weight lifting routine will also greatly help you lose body fat....and increase your strength.

So, it's a win, win situation. Go for it!

Yep - you can definitely increase strength without building muscle. Plus, don't discount newbie gains - if you are new to lifting, you could very well put on some muscle, despite being on a deficit. All the more reason to start early.

If you haven't already - check out the stickied Fitness FAQs and find Melkor's list of lifting programs.

Absolutely, you can get stronger without getting any bigger (more muscular).  Since you are losing weight and in a caloric deficit, you won't gain mass but your muscles (and nervous system connections) will become stronger and more efficient. A serious weight-training program can really benefit you!

To add to what the others said...

I started lifting weights in mid May, while I was still losing weight.  By the end of July, I was lifting anywhere from 50% to 100% more than I was at the end of May.  So yes, you can get stronger.  You might even put on some muscle.

And don't worry about what other peole might think in the gym.  They're likely only worried about themselves, and their own weight routines. 

Also, lifting while losing weight should help you maintain the muscle mass you already have.  I keep a 50% carb, 30% protein, and 20% fat ratio to try to help with that too.

Clint

Wow!  I wish people would include this information on their posts about gaining muscle while in a deficit.  I have been avoiding weight lifting while trying to lose weight thinking, what was the point?  I will not shy away from the weights any longer.  Thanks for the info!

Original Post by vescag:

Wow!  I wish people would include this information on their posts about gaining muscle while in a deficit.

Huh - I thought it was often mentioned. I've definitely both read and written it a lot on these forums.

Yeah, but there's other forums and web sites besides this one. I know, seems impossible, but there is actually more sites on the 'net than CC where people write about weight loss :-P

 Which is unfortunate in a way since there's so blasted much misinformation out there from people who get their workout information from Cosmo. Even right here on CC you see a lot of people who think Shape and Self are the bee's knees when it comes to workout information ;)

 Anyway - yeah, strength is also a trainable skill based in neuromuscular coordination which means that even if you don't add any mass at all, you can become significantly stronger just from learning to use your existing muscle more efficiently. Plus of course all the exceptions like newbie gains, reconditioned athletes regaining old muscle, and the sometimes wonky biochemistry of the obese that means they can gain muscle even in a fairly significant calorie deficit.

 The OP might actually come in under two of those for a while - newbie gains and the obesity clause, so when first starting strength training it's not inconceivable that you'd be gaining a decent amount of muscle until you drop below 25-30% body fat ;)

Original Post by melkor:

Yeah, but there's other forums and web sites besides this one. I know, seems impossible, but there is actually more sites on the 'net than CC where people write about weight loss :-P

What what what??

strength training is a great tool to add to your weight loss routine!  You can definitely get stronger and on top of it you will find that you lose inches and tone your body more.  Plus, weight training helps to build lean muscle mass (think runner muscles not power lifter muscles).  The higher your lean muscle mass in your body, the better your metabolism as muscle burns calories even at rest while fat does not.  So incorporating strength training is a win-win-win!

Um... so runner's muscles are different than power lifter's muscles?  

Do power lifter's have "fat" muscles (as opposed to "lean" muscles)? 

Uhhh...... don't think so. 

Wow, thanks guys for all the replies.

As vesag pointed out, other forums and sites always push to say "NO MUSCLE GAIN WHILE LOSING WEIGHT", even when I searched "gain strength while losing weight" on google it just brought me to a bunch of articles about how you can't gain 'muscle' when the key word was 'strength'.

Knowing this now makes my outlook on things a lot better.. Right now I've been going to the gym 5 days a week. Mon Wed and Fri doing upper body weights and running a mile when done.. and Tues and Thurs just doing some sit ups and supermans (back extensions) then running 2 miles.

I guess to add to my question.. what is everyone's thoughts on lower body weights? I've always had naturally strong legs.. Even though I'm 255 (was 255 I mean, I'm 252.5 according to my scale today) I'm a fast runner and I can jump vertical and grab a basketball rim with two hands. I've never really cared to push my legs hard in the gym since my knees are slightly double jointed and I can feel them getting irritated when I squat or leg press..

Do you guys think I should toss in some leg weights even if they're low weight? Or should the jogging be enough?

Oh, in exercise there's very few rules for what you have to do since it varies so much with your goals.

 Except that you have to do your squats. That one is non-negotiable. If you're short on time a ten-minute workout consisting of warming up and then 3x5 heavy squats (sets across) givens you about 70-80% of the results of a full workout session.

 Well over half the muscles in your body are below your waistline and most of your upper body is at least isometrically exercised in a proper barbell squat, so a squat trains about 75% of the muscles in your body.

 (numbers are vague guidelines, individual specifics can vary +/-5% depending on individual muscle growth patterns).

 Actually, if you've got a tendency towards muscular legs, it becomes more important, not less to train them. It's where most of your calorie-burning muscles are, and they definitely will go away as you lose bodyweight unless you train enough to convince your body that they aren't disposable as your bodyweight goes down.

 You don't have to do full barbell squats; I also like unilateral work like bulgarian split squats and step-ups. Avoid the leg press whenever possible, when using it with any really useful weight it places unacceptable pressure on your lumbar spine.

 The knee getting irritated when performing a squat is a sign that you're not performing it properly though. If you don't have a coach to show you proper form, you'd want to look up how to do a barbell squat on the Starting Strength Wiki or get the book from Amazon - actually, I recommend the book, it's the second best thing to being coached in person by an experienced lifter.

 Common causes of knee trouble with squatting is letting the knee drop inwards, this places torque strain on the joint which isn't good.

... and deadlifts are good too.

Original Post by wiley50:

Wow, thanks guys for all the replies.

As vesag pointed out, other forums and sites always push to say "NO MUSCLE GAIN WHILE LOSING WEIGHT", even when I searched "gain strength while losing weight" on google it just brought me to a bunch of articles about how you can't gain 'muscle' when the key word was 'strength'.

Knowing this now makes my outlook on things a lot better.. Right now I've been going to the gym 5 days a week. Mon Wed and Fri doing upper body weights and running a mile when done.. and Tues and Thurs just doing some sit ups and supermans (back extensions) then running 2 miles.

I guess to add to my question.. what is everyone's thoughts on lower body weights? I've always had naturally strong legs.. Even though I'm 255 (was 255 I mean, I'm 252.5 according to my scale today) I'm a fast runner and I can jump vertical and grab a basketball rim with two hands. I've never really cared to push my legs hard in the gym since my knees are slightly double jointed and I can feel them getting irritated when I squat or leg press..

Do you guys think I should toss in some leg weights even if they're low weight? Or should the jogging be enough?

 Legs and gluts are some of your biggest muscles in the body.  It is a really good idea to work them.  Squats, deadlifts, lunges.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is that even tho you will not gain much muscle mass, you will get muscular in appearance. I found that as I lost weight the muscle's I had could be seen better, so it appeared like muscle gain when it was just toning and losing the fat that hid what was there. So your appearance will improve as you weight train and lose weight.

^The glute and then leg ARE the biggest muscles in your body and never should be overworked. As Melkor said, squats should be considered a staple to your wrkout. If you do nothing else, do your squat since it is a compound exercise and will engage numerous muscles...your core will get so strong! I am also going to agree with Melkor that step ups are a good [great thing] as well as one legged squats and lunges and dead lifts and hip rolls...etc...

Thanks for the info guys. I guess now I just have to decide if I want to plug it in tuesday and thursday, or just do it mon wed and friday with my upper body.